The invention relates to outerwear including at least one retractor provided in a retractor receiving area under a utility pocket, and to a method for manufacturing outerwear including at least one retractor provided in a retractor receiving area under a utility pocket.
Fishing vests have been used by fishermen for many years. Generally, fishing vests include pockets for storing fishing accessories while fishing. Exemplary pieces of equipment often used by fishermen include, for example, flies, lures, fishing line, insect repellent, matches, nippers, calipers, jackets, gloves, and the like. A fishing vest is a convenient article of clothing which allows fishermen to carry such equipment with them and use it when needed. Several United States Patents that describe fishing vests include U.S. Pat. No. 1,879,341 to Lapham, U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,707 to Parker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,359 to Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,391 to Bracken, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,535 to Dobrzenski. Several catalogs showing commercially available fishing vests are available from Simms(copyright) Fishing Products, Inc. of Bozeman, Mont., and L. L. Bean(copyright) of Freeport, Me. A common feature of the fishing vests described in these publications is that they include several pockets for holding fishing accessones.
Fishing jackets are often used by fishermen when conditions merit an article of clothing providing desired warmth and/or rain protection. A fishing jacket generally includes a vest portion and sleeves extending from the vest portion. When the jacket is provided for warmth and/or rain protection, it is generally tailored to enhance warmth retention and/or rain protection. For example, the jacket can include a raised neck portion, a hood or head protection, and a tailored waste area. In general, a fishing jacket can be characterized as including pockets for storing fishing accessories while fishing.
Certain types of fishing equipment are used frequently by fishermen, and it is desirable to have such equipment easily accessible when its use is required. Exemplary types of frequently used equipment include a hemostat, a clipper, fly dressing, and the like. Rather than storing this type of equipment in pockets, it has been found to be advantageous to attach it to fishing vests using a retractor. In addition, certain types of equipment are easily dropped. When wading in a river, this may result in loss of the equipment. Accordingly, many fishermen use retractors to attach such equipment to a fishing vest to prevent loss. Many forms of retractors are commercially available. Commercially available retractors can be obtained from Simms(copyright) Fishing Products, Inc. These retractors are generally of the type having a spring provided within a rigid housing and with a clip on one end of the spring and which can be pulled out from inside the housing. The housing is attachable to a fishing vest. Fishing equipment can then be attached to the clip. Another style of commercially available retractor is sold under the name Zinger(copyright).
A fishing vest having a retractor provided within a retractor pocket is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,060 to Falk et al. that issued on Nov. 3, 1998. The assignee of U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,060 is Simms Fishing Products, Inc., the assignee of the above-identified patent application. The entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,060 is incorporated herein by reference.
Outerwear is provided according to the invention. The outerwear includes an outer shell having a neckline, a left armhole, a right armhole, a bottom edge, and is constructed to fit over a human chest. The outerwear includes a plurality of utility pockets attached to the outer shell. The utility pockets are provided for storing accessories. At least one of the utility pockets includes a pocket back side and a pocket front side. The pocket backside and the outer shell form a retractor receiving area having an opening for accessing the retractor receiving area. A retractor is attached to the outerwear, and the retractor is provided within the retractor receiving area.
Outerwear in the form of a jacket having left and right sleeves and breathable cuffs at the wrist areas of the sleeves is provided according to the invention. The breathable cuffs include a combination of a stretch material that provides at least about 10% elongation, and a waterproof and breathable material that provides 1,000 mm or more of water resistance in the Suter test and 0 to 60 resistance to evaporative transpiration according to the Hohenstein Institute. The combination of stretch fabric and waterproof and breathable material can be provided as a laminate or as a coating, and the waterproof and breathable material can be provided as a membrane. The stretch material preferably wraps the wearer""s wrist and provides pressure on the wearer""s wrist. The breathable cuff can additionally include a band for tightening the fit of the stretch material against the wearer""s wrist.
A method for manufacturing outerwear is provided according to the invention. The method includes a step of attaching a utility pocket to the outer shell of outerwear to provide a retractor receiving area between the outer shell and the utility pocket and having an opening for accessing the retractor receiving area, and attaching a retractor to the outerwear so that the retractor is provided within the retractor receiving area.